The Cleveland Guardians appear to have more resources to score runs this year, at least compared to last season’s version of the offense. Still, there’s a lot of work to do to reach the upper echelon of the league when talking strictly about lineup productivity.
Let’s start with a direct comparison. Heading into Saturday’s action, Cleveland is 21st in runs scored among all 30 teams with 266. Last year, they were 28th, so there has been some improvement.
You can also see that the organization has made strides when considering that their wRC+ in 2025 was a mediocre 87 (28th in the league) and it’s 96 this season (19th). They need more, though. The offense remains one of the most vulnerable units in the club, as insider Paul Hoynes says.
“If the Guardians have a vulnerability, it’s offense. They lead the AL in walks with 254 and stolen bases with 62, but all that patience and speed hasn’t helped a whole lot. They rank ninth in runs with 266 (4.1 runs per game), 15th in batting average at .237 and 14th in OPS at .692. So is winning the AL Central, which could be made a little easier if somehow the Guardians get to be a little more dangerous. The trade deadline this year is Aug. 3,” Hoynes wrote.
As Hoynes points out, the Guardians are doing several things right. They are walking and stealing bases at a high clip, and that’s significant.
They need to do a better job making contact and, above all things, hitting for power. Cleveland is 22nd in the league in home runs, and if they want to support one of MLB’s best pitching staffs, they need to clear the fence more often.
That’s exactly what the trade deadline is for. Yes, some of the improvements can come from within, such as promoting prospects such as Cooper Ingle and Ralphy Velazquez eventually. But to really make a difference, the Guardians need to bring in one or two established power hitters, reliable sources of home runs that help put runs on the scoreboard.
This will likely require some prospects to be dealt, but it’s time for the organization to leverage one of the strongest farm systems in the sport into impact players who can help them win now.
The Guardians need more than just ‘Guards Ball’ to win it all. It has been proven time and time again that pitching and power win championships. They have the first half of that equation. It’s time to add the other half to the mix.
NEXT: 3 Guardians Prospects Who Could Be Traded This Season
